Predicted Winners in BOLD Final Rafael Nadal (5) vs. Juan Martin del Potro (7) I think Nadal completes a remarkable comeback by defeating a player who has given him some trouble. Delpo is obviously on a roll beating Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic in succession. For JMDP to win he will need to serve big so that he…
Category: Rafael Nadal
March 14, 2013: Indian Wells Match Predictions
Predicted Winners in BOLD Quarterfinals Tomas Berdych (6) vs. Kevin Anderson – Kevin Anderson has had a great tournament. Beating David Ferrer and Gilles Simon is no small task. Still, Berdych will be able to hold serve more easily than Simon or Ferrer could. The Big Czech will likely advance due to having a stronger ground game and…
March 13, 2013: Indian Wells Match Predictions
Predicted Winners in BOLD Fourth Round Andy Murray (3) vs. Carlos Berlocq – Murray should win in two easy sets as Berlocq has no weapons to threaten Murray. Rafael Nadal (5) vs. Ernests Gulbis – Gulbis is on a hot streak and Nadal is maybe not sure about hard courts. Still, Rafa is the smart pick. Gilles Simon (13) vs. Kevin Anderson – Simon…
March 11, 2013: Indian Wells Match Picks
Predicted Winner in BOLD [5] Rafael Nadal (ESP) v Leonardo Mayer (ARG) – Rafa rolls Ivan Dodig (CRO) v [2] Roger Federer (SUI) – Federer wins Lleyton Hewitt (AUS) v [18] Stanislas Wawrinka (SUI) – Call me nostalgic, but I think Rusty wins unless Stan returns well. Jarkko Nieminen (FIN) v Kevin Anderson (RSA) – The big server beats the veteran. [20] Andreas Seppi (ITA) v [Q] Ernests…
Tennis 2013 Power Ranking: Dubai and Acapulco
Dan Martin’s 2013 Power Ranking #3 1. Novak Djokovic – Nole is number one, and his strong showing in Dubai only underscores that point. 2. Andy Murray – 2013 has brought Andy a Grand Slam runner-up finish and a 250 point title. Still, it will be nice to see him in action again. 3. Rafael Nadal – Rafa’s…
Tennis Power Rankings 2013: Chile and Beyond
Dan Martin’s 2013 Power Ranking #2 1. Novak Djokovic – Nole is still in control. 2. Andy Murray – He’s posted a 19-2 match record at the 3 most recent Grand Slam events. 3. Roger Federer – Will Rotterdam move Federer into a tie for career titles with John McEnroe? 4. David Ferrer – Horacio Zeballos preserved Ferrer’s #4…
Rafael Nadal’s Comeback is Still On Track But Just Not the Fast Track
Credit Zeballos Horacio Zeballos of Argentina won the biggest match of his life by defeating Rafael Nadal 6-7, 7-6, 6-4 to win in Vina del Mar, Chile. Zeballos also defeated a cast of solid clay court players to reach the final by dispatching Pablo Andujar, Albert Ramos and Carlos Berlocq in succession. Still, unless he…
Rafael Nadal to Miss 2013 Australian Open?
No Repeat of 2009 in 2013 There should be no question mark in the title as Nadal has announced he won’t be playing. Still, at least two major questions are raised by this announcement. If this is simply a matter of illness and not practicing, why announce on December 28 when the Australian Open does…
Tennis Impersonations: A History
Alpha? Omega? The recent controversy about Caroline Wozniacki’s impersonation of Serena Williams got me thinking about the history of impersonating a player’s ticks or idiosyncrasies. My mind initially thought that Jonas Bjorkman was the progenitor of this fad. His rain delay US Open fodder of lighthearted imitations did indeed pave the way to Djokovic’s 2007 US Open impersonation tour….
Tennis Abides: Dan Martin on Tennis and Life 